International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
On Saturday 11th February, we are celebrating International day of Women and girls in Science! This day is an opportunity to celebrate and promote equal access to science for women and girls.
Ahead of the 11th, we have interviewed five influential Women who fulfil STEM based roles across Randox Laboratories. They have shared their experiences and thoughts on Women and girls in the science industry.
Our first interview is with Head of technical Services- Louise Lynn.
Why did you pursue a career in STEM?
I enjoyed science at school and it was an easy decision to continue science through to A-level. I went on to study Biochemistry at Queens University, Belfast and during my time there I heard about Randox. I applied for various jobs when I graduated, but Randox interested me the most and was most applicable for my degree.
What is your role in Randox and how long have you worked in the company for?
I am currently Head of Technical Services in Randox, overseeing the Global Technical Support and Applications Teams.
I have been working in Randox for almost 25 years! I started in the R&D lab during the development of our Liquid Enzyme reagents, and quickly moved into Technical Support. I have held various roles within Technical Support over the years and have seen many changes in that time. As a department we support the Randox Clinical products, dealing with enquiries, complaints and troubleshooting, as well as customer training. No two days are the same.
I enjoy dealing directly with the customers and building those relationships. Working in Technical Support has given me the opportunity to travel and visit labs globally which has been very interesting and allows you to see our products in use and is always a reminder that ultimately there is a patient depending on our products to manage their health.
During the pandemic I was also involved in setting up the Covid Customer Support Team which was one of the most challenging times in my career, but also a very positive experience.
What change have you seen for women in science over the years?
During my time at university and throughout my career I have worked alongside many females, however I have seen an increase in female engineers over more recent years, which is great to see in one of the more male dominated sectors of the business.
Have you found it harder or any different going into your career in science as a woman?
Throughout my career at Randox I have had both male and female managers. We have been very fortunate that everyone is given an equal opportunity within the company and we have always had females in senior management positions. At no stage in my career have I found being a female has caused me to struggle or consider changing my career path. I was also given flexibility when my children were young, but this did not prevent me from progressing my career once I was ready to do so again.
How do you think we can encourage more women to go into the science industry?
Female scientists and engineers going into schools and talking about what they do. Many young people don’t know what they want to do and getting their attention at an early age and hearing real life career stories first hand can have a huge impact.
If you have one piece of advice as a woman starting out the STEM industry, what would it be?
Decide what you want to do and have confidence in yourself that you can do it, even if it is in a male dominated sector. You will make mistakes, but that is science, learn from them and move on.
For more information, please contact Market@randox.com
